China Clamps Down on Dirty Fuel

2/6/2013 11:52PM

China will increase fuel standards for diesel and gasoline over the next four years as leaders grapple with intensifying public pressure to solve the nation's mounting pollution problems. The WSJ's Carlos Tejada has the story.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... the ... a sign of action by China's leaders the country is going to raise the standards ... of its fuel in order to con that ... increasing pollution through out the country ... with me to discuss this is Carlos to hide our deputy beer chief a news editor in China in Beijing ... Carlos what exactly are these fuel standards that we mustn't confuse it with emissions standards ... oh that's right our go aam ... these are of the bees are restrictions on the mound of Seoul for the end of diesel and gasoline in China ... diesel specifically it's a problem the current standard is aam ... three hundred and fifty parts per million in most of the country by comparison in the U S to Europe its ... ten parts per million so the fuel here is much much purity and went to find a new West and in Europe ... that the question is how much will this actually change the levels of pollution and how much of the pollution ... at least as far as we know is coming from ... the fuel that emitted from these vehicles ... quite a considerable amount of of the pollution ATC in Beijing and elsewhere around the country does come from diesel people ... know the refining industry argues that um a lot of these cities like Beijing have a greater fuel standards and it's true but of course a lot of the vehicles driving around in Beijing are from Beijing on especially the transport trucks ... which are ... some of the biggest emitters of one of biggest causes of pollution here ... this is not going to change things right away um the standards will be tightened in two steps of the one that will take place mostly on ... Europe this year and next and then on others that will take place throughout of ... two thousand and seventeen ... but if the standards are um implemented with the government's talking about it should have a considerable impact ... and the Chinese cabinet is also going to hold industry more accountable for pollution ... of your story mentions that it's going to raise fees on some of these companies if they e if they don't abide by their new ... rules as a first for them ... was ... it that that China does have of these but there are much lower than you might ... have the get from say the EPA in the US um ... you know it helps to remember that the the big refining companies in China are up also part of the government of the big state-owned enterprises um ... so I'm in a way it's the government ... charging fees against itself um ... that that that that that that tricky politically um but clearly there's a lot of public pressure to clamp down ... on and enforcement is always in China is a major issue ... so um ... you know that ... that taken at face value this does look like ... um an acknowledgment by the cabinet that's um ... that something needs to be done to cleaner providers ... what's the reaction to this move in China there's been a lot of public discontent obviously what that ... levels of pollution in Beijing and then some other parts of China ... I've been people see this as a first step is a positive press that they think it's not enough ... yes people see it as ... a positive for Sam the the initial reaction has been pretty good benefit is also a sense here of ... waiting to see him in with the boy in the major problems here is is is going to be a long process and even with the best intentions ... there's a lot of ... refineries in there and you know ... just outside of fuel that a lot of of ... of parts of the infrastructure here that need to be cleaned up before the skies can decree ... great thanks so much has to high that tiny news editor for The Wall Street Journal and Beijing ... for more on this diet is that it WS J dot com for Asia Today Ahmadi the Sanchanta ...